


A Birthday To Remember

by EndlessOtaku



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: And i love all these characters, Beware of puns, Birthday, Boxman is also a flustered gay, But it may go a bit longer, Fluff, I'm bad at tags, It's only rated T bc they drink a bit, Lord Boxman is a Good Dad, M/M, Surprise Date, The difference is Venomous can pretend to be smooth, This fic should be just pure fluff and nervous gays, This is planned to be like 3 chapters, Venomous is a flustered gay, dinner date, he loves his children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-10
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-15 16:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12324765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EndlessOtaku/pseuds/EndlessOtaku
Summary: If you had told Lord Boxman a month ago that he would be spending his birthday with possibly the most handsome villain he had ever seen, he wouldn't have believed you; in fact, he probably would have burst out laughing at the very suggestion. Such an occurence was so unlikely to him that he wouldn't have even considered it to be a possibility. And yet here he was on his birthday, pacing nervously up and down the driveway in front of Boxmore as he waited for his date's car to pull up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The rad af spooky.bus on Instagram](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+rad+af+spooky.bus+on+Instagram).
  * Inspired by [venomous was too awkward to ask boxman for a date what happened next will warm your heart](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11929974) by [tracyjacks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tracyjacks/pseuds/tracyjacks). 



> This fic started as a birthday present for a friend on Instagram, and quickly became self-indulgent. It's my first fanfic, and at least partially inspired by one of the other Voxman fics I've read on here (though not exclusively; a lot of the ideas and plans I have for this are just from talking randomly with a few friends). I hope you guys like this fic as much as I've enjoyed writing it ^^

If you had told Lord Boxman a month ago that he would be spending his birthday with possibly the most handsome villain he had ever seen, he wouldn't have believed you; in fact, he probably would have burst out laughing at the very suggestion. Such an occurence was so unlikely to him that he wouldn't have even considered it to be a possibility. And yet here he was on his birthday, pacing nervously up and down the driveway in front of Boxmore as he waited for his date's car to pull up.

The short man glanced down at himself, making sure for the umpteenth time that everything was in order. A flash of purple caught his eye, and he remembered the roses that he was holding. The bouquet of home-grown flowers in his right hand was beginning to wilt slightly -- he hoped he would be able to get them in a vase of water soon to preserve the blossoms, but he wasn't going to count on it. He would have to deal with it, he supposed, as it was much too late now to go and pick new ones.

Boxman's gaze turned to his attire now. He was wearing a decently formal outfit, though his best clothes -- his baby blue tuxedo -- had been regrettably destroyed during the business dinner he had had with Professor Venomous what felt like so long ago. It was an aqua sweater vest with an argyle-like design in front, over a baby blue button-up shirt, the sleeves of which he had rolled up to his elbows. His pants were navy blue, and today he had decided to forego wearing a tie for once. This outfit was a gift he recieved this morning from the eldest Boxman bot, Ernesto, who was Lord Boxman's personal tailor, among other things, and liked to give his father a surprise outfit every year for his birthday. Boxman always made a point of wearing these special outfits the same day he recieved them, and as often as possible on casual days, to show how much he appreciated the gesture from his eldest. He would have to ask Ernesto to sew him a new tuxedo soon, now that he thought of it, but the clothes he recieved today were more than adequate for the casual date he would be going on shortly.

Ah yes, the date.... He had almost forgotten about it, having gotten caught up in reminiscing. It was another birthday gift from his children, apparently. He had woken up to Darrell and Shannon arguing quietly in his room, with Raymond, Jethro, and Ernesto watching them amusedly. As soon as they realised he had awakened, they flipped on the lights, revealing a "Happy Birthday" banner above the doorway and colorful streamers strewn about the room. The kids had all shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!" in unison -- with an unmistakable "I AM JETHRO!" in the mix -- and given him the presents they had gotten for his birthday... and told him about how they had talked to Professor Venomous and set up a date for the two of them. All morning, Boxman had gone between spending time with his robot children and scrambling to get ready for the date, and now it was almost time to go.

Boxman stopped his pacing momentarily, standing facing away from the street as he checked his watch: 6:30PM. Venomous should be here any minute now... but what if he wasn't? What if there was no date? What if Venomous had only agreed to the date to get the children to go away? What if it was all a sick joke, and he was just going to be humiliated for having gotten his hopes up? What if-?!

At the sound of a vehicle approaching, he quickly spun around, hiding the bouquet of roses behind his back. A sleek plum limousine drove down the road, slowing to a stop at the end of the driveway. Boxman gawked at it, frozen. Surely Professor Venomous hadn't gone out of his way to rent a limo for the date, had he? One of the back doors of the glamorous car opened, and a figure stepped out into the sun. Lord Boxman stared, mouth agape, as the incredibly handsome man strode towards him... it appeared that he had.

The tall, dark haired villain approaching him looked... absolutely stunning. His purple complexion almost glowed in the bright sunlight, and his perfect eye makeup sparkled and glittered as he moved. His black hair was pulled into a low ponytail in back, though a lock of hair was still free in the front on either side of his face. And to top it all off, the man was wearing an almost identical outfit to Lord Boxman's. The only real difference was in the colors of the garments -- while his own clothing was all blues, the taller man's attire was varying shades of purple, complimenting his complexion perfectly. The sweater vest was a rich violet, and the button-up shirt below a pale lavender. The man was also, of course, wearing his signature off-white knee-high boots, the heels making a powerful, somehow attractive clicking noise every time he took a step on the pavement.

"P-Professor Venomous!!" Lord Boxman managed to stutter happily at last, right when Professor Venomous -- for it was indeed he -- had closed the gap between them completely. His face was incredibly warm now; was it hot out here, or was it just the villain in front of him? He pulled at his collar nervously; he was sure that if he had been wearing a tie, he would be loosening it right now.

"Haven't I told you before, Boxy," Professor Venomous said with a smile, and Boxman blushed at the nickname, "to call me simply Venomous? I should think we'd be on good enough terms by now, what with us about to be going on a date and all, hmm?"

"Y-yes, of course, Pro- Venomous!" Lord Boxman replied with a small, nervous laugh, nodding quickly. "How could I have forgotten?"

Venomous looked Boxman over, causing the small man to blush, and raised an eyebrow. "What's that you're hiding?"

Lord Boxman blinked, and an expression of recognition appeared on his face; he had entirely forgotten about the bouquet. "O-oh, that? I, uh-" His face flushed, and he almost felt embarrassed when he pulled from behind him the deep purple roses and presented them nervously to the professor. "I grew these for- for you. I know they're not the best -- they've started to wilt a bit already, by the way, they should really be put into some water soon -- but I chose the very best from the bush in my courtyard, I tended to them personally as they grew, and, well,  I..." Boxman's rambling trailed off as he anxiously examined Venomous's face, the expression a mix of emotions he hadn't seen before. "Are they alright...?"

Now it was Professor Venomous's turn to blush, though it was hardly visible on his features. The tall villain was honestly speechless, though the longer he was quiet, the more worried Lord Boxman became. Eventually, he spoke. "They're... _perfect_ ," he said softly, truly awestruck.

Boxman let out a relieved sigh, his expression relaxing. "I'm so glad you think so," he said with a smile. He then glanced again at Venomous's attire. "Did- did Ernesto make you those clothes?"

Venomous nodded, smiling fondly down at the shorter man. "Yes, he brought them to me last night. He somehow knew my exact measurements -- now that I think about it, that was rather odd."

"Oh, no, I've programmed him that way," Lord Boxman assured him. "Not- not to know your specific measurements, of course, because I don't know them myself, that would be silly, but to... to be able to calculate them just by looking at a person, just by scanning them. It saves me the hassle of an awkward measuring tape."

The professor chuckled at this, and then offered a hand. "Shall we?" Lord Boxman hardly trusted himself to speak again -- they hadn't even gotten into the car together yet and he already felt as though he had embarassed himself more than once -- so he simply nodded, taking Venomous's proffered hand with a small grin.

Together, the two of them walked back down the driveway to the waiting limousine. Venomous made a great show of opening the door and bowing, which made Boxman giggle despite himself as he stepped into the roomy back of the fancy vehicle. He was followed closely by Venomous, who shut the car door as he entered, and they sat beside each other on the cushy white leather seats, buckling in for safety. The bouquet of roses was set on one of said seats, and promptly forgotten; though they'd hardly admit it, neither man could care about flowers when there was someone much more attractive to look at right before him.

Venomous gave the limo driver their destination: a fairly new restaurant that had opened not too long ago. Boxman didn't catch the name of it, but he didn't really care, as they would be there shortly anyways. The limousine began to move, and Venomous pulled a bottle of wine and a couple of small glasses from a handy built-in cooler next to honest. He poured a little wine into both glasses, then handed one to Boxman.

"So- so tell me, Venomous," Boxman began, gratefully taking the wine glass and taking a small sip, "why did you rent us a limousine for tonight? You know you didn't have to, right?"

"Well, of _course_ I had to," came Venomous's smooth reply. He took a sip of wine as well. "It's your birthday, after all, Boxy~. I couldn't show in just any old car, now could I? No, the birthday boy needs to travel in style." He smirked teasingly at the cyborg, then paused when he saw Boxman's slightly worried face. "If you're worried about the expenses, don't be- I have connections, the limo didn't cost me a dime. I have a significant discount at the restaurant we're heading to, as well, so feel free to order whatever you like when we get there- and no, Boxman, I'm paying for everything tonight, so no protesting."

Lord Boxman, who had indeed been about to protest, laughed and nodded. He took a second sip, and could tell that the wine was already beginning to relax him somewhat. Good -- the last thing he needed was to be a nervous wreck all evening, as he otherwise would be. "Alright," he said, smiling, "as long as you know that I'll be doing the same for your birthday in return."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Venomous replied with a catlike grin. He glanced out the window when he felt the limo begin to slow, and sighed. "Traffic's a nightmare," he commented.

Boxman nodded, and sipped his wine again. "It really can be... that's why I usually have a Mega Jethro roll on ahead of me when I'm driving in rush hour -- he flattens those cars, no problem!!" he joked, earning a laugh from Venomous.

"Yes, I imagine he would," the purple man replied bemusedly. "A robot that size could crush just about anything... remind me to buy one from you sometime, will you?"

Lord Boxman was surprised by this for a moment -- he had somehow forgotten that his current date and long-time crush was also one of his best clients. Without thinking, he switched to business-mode. "Oh, yes, of course!! I've actually had Ernesto compiling a new catalogue of all the most recent models for the available robots -- I'll have him get you a copy when we get back to Boxmore, so you can take a look and see what you like!! We have this new bot now, Mikayla- she looks cute, but she can claw any hero's eyes out. Great to have around the house, as she doubles as a mouser- ooh, with Fink around that actually may not be a very good idea..."

Professor Venomous chuckled. "That's probably true," he admitted, smirking. "She wouldn't forgive me if I got one of them... though she'd probably try to blame it on you somehow."

"Oh?" Lord Boxman raised an eyebrow. "Mm, I suppose she wouldn't be too fond of me, eh? She seemed quite... territorial, last time I met her." He frowned slightly at the thought, remembering how that meeting had gone.

"True, she does have... possessive tendencies," Venomous admitted. He gave an encouraging smile, adding, "But I'm sure she'll warm up to you in time -- she just needs to get used to you."

Before Lord Boxman could begin to respond, the limousine came to a halt. Venomous looked out the window, checking if this was merely because of traffic again, and when he saw that it wasn't, he began to unbuckle himself. Boxman followed suit, and both men exited the limo and stared up at the grand restaurant before them: Sweet Revenge. Holding hands, they grinned at one another and stepped into the building.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lord Boxman tried to listen as Venomous described the new bio-tech he and his minion were working on. He really did -- it was interesting stuff! But as Venomous went on about his work, Boxman couldn't help but focus more on the man himself. The way he moved his hands as he spoke, gesturing to help explain the science, the engaging tone of his voice, and his bright expression all displayed a passion that Boxman could almost feel from across the table. Venomous was a dedicated villain, and it showed! Hell, it somehow made him even more attractive on top of his already-handome appearance. Boxman could appreciate a fellow devoted villain in any case, but when said devoted villain was so drop-dead _gorgeous_ , too, well...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update!! I got writers' block, and was super unmotivated to finish the chapter for the longest time, even though I had almost finished it. I'm hoping chapter 3 won't take as long to write, but I really can't make any promises since I tend to procrastinate and school's taking up a lot of my time.

Lord Boxman gasped as they entered the restaurant, stopping to look around. It was classy, but not stuffily so -- the place had a relaxed, almost casual atmosphere. All around, Boxman could see villains of varying levels sitting at tables and chatting with friends, or lounging by the bar and mingling. He recognised a few patrons; for example, he could see the famed Succulentus at a table surrounded by what appeared to be his family, grandkids and all. This was reassuring, and he smiled a bit. Admittedly, he had been a bit nervous about the restaurant at first, as he knew it was fairly new, but seeing such villains as Succulentus enjoying themselves here was definitely a good sign.

Venomous started forward, heading to the podium by which the maitre d' was standing, and Lord Boxman stuck quite closely behind him. He felt Venomous give his hand a reassuring squeeze, surprisingly, and he returned it a moment later. Once they were at the podium, Venomous told the maitre d' their reservation name, and they were promptly led to a table for two in the back. It was decorated with a lit candle and a vase with a couple of orchids in it, and ready with a pair of menus. Boxman noticed that all the tables, including their own, had a lovely crystal chandelier above them, small and sparkling.

Professor Venomous pulled Lord Boxman's chair out with a flourish and a small bow, eliciting a giggle from the cyborg as he sat. The tall, purple man then rounded the table and sat in the chair opposite him. They glanced over the menus, and when a waitress came by, they placed their drink orders (sweet iced tea for Boxman, and black coffee for Venomous), then asked for mozzarella sticks; both agreed that they were the superior appetiser.

"So, Boxy," Venomous began with a smile, an elbow on the table and his chin resting in his hand, "how are your kids doing?"

The rotund man, who had been somewhat anxious as he tried to come up with a conversation starter, brightened considerably at the mention of his children. "Oh, they're wonderful!" He beamed. "They've all taken quite well to Mikayla, I mentioned her earlier, and they even nearly beat those pesky heroes once or twice! Not as good as _actually_  beating them, of course, but I am proud all the same. Don't let them know that, though." He laughed. "I let Darrell wear one of his many costumes to battle recently, as he's been doing especially well, and even though he lost it was just the cutest thing... But I could prattle on for hours about my children, we'd be here all night. How's Fink?"

"She's well," Venomous replied, grinning. "A bit difficult to get to bed sometimes, I'll admit, as she either makes me chase her around the house or simply stays up all night reading her comic books, but I stay up late working a lot so I can't say much. We've actually been working on some new advancements that would make battle a bit easier for..."

Lord Boxman tried to listen as Venomous described the new bio-tech he and his minion were working on. He really did -- it was interesting stuff! But as Venomous went on about his work, Boxman couldn't help but focus more on the man himself. The way he moved his hands as he spoke, gesturing to help explain the science, the engaging tone of his voice, and his bright expression all displayed a passion that Boxman could almost feel from across the table. Venomous was a dedicated villain, and it showed! Hell, it somehow made him even more attractive on top of his already-handome appearance. Boxman could appreciate a fellow devoted villain in any case, but when said devoted villain was so drop-dead _gorgeous_ , too, well...

"...Boxman?" Pofessor Venomous's concerned voice broke through his thoughts, and Boxman blinked, snapping out of it. "Are you alright? You're staring."

"Oh, of course!" Boxman replied quickly, blushing profusely. "I just got... lost in thought for a moment there, I suppose. Sorry about that." He mentally berated himself for zoning out instead of listening, though it wasn't as though he could really help it.

"What were you thinking about?" Venomous asked, causing the other man to blush more.

"Nothing important, really, just- oh, look, here come our drinks!" Boxman grinned, seemingly relieved at the easy change in topic as their waitress approached the table with their drinks and mozzarella sticks.

The waitress smiled at the two of them as she set their drinks and mozzarella sticks on the table in front of them. "What can I get you fine gentlemen this evening?" she asked, notepad ready to take their orders.

Boxman glanced nervously down at his menu, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Venomous take a look at his own. He knew that neither of them had actually looked at the food selection aside from beverages and appetisers, and he was about to start anxiously skimming the menu to choose an entrée when Venomous spoke for the both of them: "We'll both have High Steaks, with a side of Foiled Again."

The waitress nodded, writing down the order with a smile. "Ah, the Final Battle special, excellent choice," she said. "Your food should be out shortly."

Boxman looked at Venomous quizzically as the waitress walked away, a bit confused by the order. "High Steaks and Foiled Again? What kind of an order is that?"

Venomous pointed to the menu with a chuckle. "It's steak with a baked potato. See, look, all the menu items have puns for titles."

Lord Boxman couldn't help but chuckle when he actually took a look at the names on the menu. There were dishes with names like 'Brain Scrambler' (scrambled eggs with ham and cheese) and 'Melondramatic' (a fruit salad, starring melons). "These are _terrible_!" he gasped, shaking with barely-contained laughter as he saw a beverage called 'Smoothie Criminal'. "Who thought of these? Oh my _word_ -" His wheezy laughter only became harder to keep in as he read even more of the menu, and he eventually had to hold onto the table so that he didn't fall out of the chair from giggling so much.

His laughs finally gave way to wheezing, and he was forced to calm down so that he could breathe properly. He looked up to find Venomous staring at him. The purple man had a huge, almost goofy grin on his face, much to his surprise -- and was he _blushing_?

"I'm sorry about that, bad jokes just always, ah, tickle my funny bone," Boxman apologised quickly, once he had regained his compusure enough to speak coherently again.

"No, no, it's alright," Venomous replied, his grin turning almost smug. "I'll admit, the menu certainly has mushroom for improvement. I'm not a very big flan of puns, myself."

Lord Boxman blinked, and very nearly deteriorated into a laughing mess again. He held it together a bit better this time, though. "Mushroom for- oh my!" he managed, sniggering. "Now _those_  are some- ha!"

Professor Venomous's soft laughter joined in with his own; a full laugh, rather than the chuckles the man had given earlier this evening. After a moment, he looked down at the table and picked up a mozzarella stick. "We should probably start eating these soon, before they cool too much," he commented. "They're best hot." He dipped the mozzarella stick in the marinara sauce that came with them, then ate it. Lord Boxman nodded at the suggestion, grabbing a mozzarella stick for himself and doing the same.

The two of them continued to eat the mozzarella sticks, talking pleasantly as they did so ("With all those bad jokes on the menu, why couldn't they have thought of anything silly for mozzarella sticks?" "Maybe the person who named all the dishes was just too punoriginal for that"), and right when they had finished Venomous looked up to see their waitress arriving with their food. "Ah, dinner," he said, smiling as their plates were set in front of them. "Perfect timing."

"Yes, thank you," Boxman said to the waitress with a grin.

The waitress nodded and took the empty plate from the mozzarella sticks with a "let me know if you need anything" and a smile, before heading to another table to take an order.

Looking down at the plate in front of him, Boxman now understood why the baked potato was titled 'Foiled Again' on the menu; it was served hot in the foil, clearly fresh from the oven. He peeled the foil away, careful not to burn himself, and cut the baked potato in half so that it could cool a bit more quickly.

Boxman turned his attention to the steak now, cutting it into bite-sized pieces. A thought occurred to him then. "Ah, Venomous?" he started.

"Yes?" Venomous, who was already eating his steak, paused to listen.

"If, uh, if you don't mind my asking, why did you choose to come on a dinner date with me? If I remember correctly, at the end of the business dinner we had, you'd said that fancy dinners like this bored you. So... why the change of heart?"

"Sweet Revenge isn't the most fancy and uptight, as nice restaurants go," Venomous said with a casual shrug. "It's much less boring and stuffy than the others I've been to so far; that's why I chose this place. But trust me, Boxy, this isn't all I have planned for tonight." He gave a sly smile. "Sure, your kids told you about the dinner, but you don't really think that's all I'd have planned for your birthday, do you?" He laughed. "No, there's more to come tonight. I hope to make it the best night of your life, in fact. But first, of course, dinner; it would be stupid of me to expect you to have any fun tonight on an empty stomach, and this seemed just the place to go."

"You mean- you mean this isn't it?" Boxman asked, surprised. "Then what else will we be doing?

"Well, that would spoil the surprise, now, wouldn't it?" Venomous replied, smirking. "You'll find out after dinner, when we get there."

♡♡♡

Dinner went on well, the two men talking about anything that came to mind as they ate. The food was great, though they opted not to stay at the restaurant for dessert -- Boxman knew that his kids would have a cake ready for him when they did finally get back to Boxmore, as they did every year, and Venomous agreed that something home-made would be much more special than restaurant food.

At the end of the meal, Venomous paid the dinner bill, and the two of them went back out to the limousine, arm in arm.

"So, where to next?" Boxman asked, once the two of them were settled in next to each other in the limo.

"Like I said, you'll see when we get there~," Venomous said smoothly. "The suspense during the drive there will make it even more exciting, don't you think?"

"I guess it'll have to," Boxman relented with a resigned smile. "Let's just hope the wait won't be too long."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder where they'll be going next chapter!!  
> On a side note, I totally came up with an entire punny menu for Sweet Revenge, including the "Pour Decisions" wine menu and a "Just Desserts" section with things like Whisk Taker, Eclaire Winner, and Strobbery Cheesecake. It was just too good an opportunity to pass up, even if all the puns I came up with weren't actually incorporated. Even my reason for naming the restaurant Sweet Revenge is a joke -- "the sweet taste of revenge" is a dish best served cold.


End file.
